Forensic females' perceptions of a trauma-informed care approach
Research type
Research Study
Full title
To explore the perceptions of service users residing within a female forensic inpatient hospital in relation to what impact a trauma-informed care has had on them.
IRAS ID
306949
Contact name
Sandeep Chatha
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 28 days
Research summary
Trauma is defined as “any event that overwhelms a person’s capacity for positive coping”. Trauma is prevalent in society, particularly across Forensic settings. A study by Howard et al (2017) found that 85% of female inmates had experienced some form of childhood trauma. Further research by SAMHSA (2014) found that women residing in a forensic setting are more likely to have experienced physical and sexual abuse compared to males and women in the general population. There are five core values of trauma-informed care that have been identified and developed based on the knowledge of what is known about common responses to physical, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as what survivors need for recovery. A trauma-informed care approach adopts these principles into their service. It takes the trauma into account and avoids triggering reactions and potentially re-traumatising the individual. It facilitates healing, recovery and empowerment as well as emphasising collaboration, and recognising the effects that trauma can have not only on service users, but also staff (Fallot and Harris 2009).
The following research will aim to explore the perceptions of service users residing in a female forensic inpatient hospital and what impacts a trauma-informed care approach has had on them. Participants will include female participants over the age of 18 years who are residing on a mixture of low and medium-secure wards. A mixture of age groups and ethnicities as well as stages of treatment and recovery will be included. Participants should also have been residing at the hospital for a minimum of six months to allow participants to have had a sufficient experience of a trauma-informed care approach. The following study will be qualitative using Thematic Analysis (TA) and interviews will include between 10-15 participants. Each participant will be interviewed for 45 minutes - 1 hour.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
22/NS/0094
Date of REC Opinion
18 Jul 2022
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion